Harry's Hardest Decision
by rivendaen
Summary: After a fight with his uncle, Harry meets a strange new girl who is about to change his life forever
1. Chapter 1

Slouching in to the couch, Candy glanced around the small living room and turned off the TV. It was a gray day out and she had nothing to do. Her mother was in the kitchen washing dishes before she had to go to work. Every now and then a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Soon she heard the sink draining the soapy water and her mother exited the kitchen. She took a seat in her rocking chair and sighed. Candy groaned.

"I'm bored…" she whined, slouching further into the couch. Her mother gave her an evil glare and shook her head.

"Then go do something," she quipped as she reached in her pocket.

"Like what? There's nothing to do in this town," Candy moaned. Her mother handed her twenty pounds.

"Go for lunch and get out of my house," she shooed. Candy jumped up and slid on her shoes. The sky looked threatening still, but she had to get out of this house. She trundled out the door and slammed it behind her. She could hear her mother shouting from inside.

It was a cool, crisp day out. A jacket would have been a good idea, but she didn't want to turn back now. Instead, she kept on walking slowly down the street until she reached Privet Drive. Something at the end of the cul-de-sac caught her attention. And argument raged between a small family. A large man and a tall skinny boy were fighting by a vehicle. A woman in the background was shaking, holding onto her chubby son.

"I don't want your silly magic tricks in my house!" the man shouted. The tall, dark haired boy reached in his pocket and pulled out a twig.

"Shut up!" he shouted as he pointed it at the man. "Just shut up!" He grabbed his suitcase and backed off. "You're not my parents! Leave me alone!" he yelled before swerving around and storming off. He dragged his trunk behind him.

Candy backed into the bush, where he wouldn't see her. She watched the boy disappear down the lane and decided to follow him. After walking for a while, she found him on a swing at the park. Gingerly, she approached him from behind.

"Are you OK?" she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He yelled and jumped to his feet. Again, he pulled out that twig; he pointed it at her.

"Leave me alone!" he shouted. His hands were shaking like leaves in the autumn wind.

"Relax," she said calmly. "I saw you arguing with those folks, I was just coming to see if you were ok," she confessed. He stared her down for a long moment. As his gaze searched hers, he slowly lowered the twig.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously. "Are you from the ministry?" She stared into his dark eyes, bewildered.

"The ministry?" she inquired. Then it hit her, he must have meant Social Services. He continued to study her with a suspicious glare. She shook her head. "No. Should I be?" she asked. He took in a deep breath.

"No," he replied softly. "What did you see?" he asked. She laughed.

"Enough to know those folks aren't your parents?" she replied with a hint of a question. He chuckled softly and a weak smile crossed his handsome face.

"That's my aunt and uncle," he explained. "I've lived with them since I was a baby," he confessed as he returned to his swing. He offered her to sit down as well. She watched him carefully then looked to the trunk.

"So you're running away?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No. I go to a boarding school, sort of," he told her. She smiled and extended her hand.

"I'm Candice, everyone calls me Candy," she offered. He shook her hand.

"Harry, Harry Potter," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

When all he got was a smile in response, Harry was relieved and somewhat disappointed when she didn't jump back in shock. She wasn't from the ministry after all, just another muggle. She sat silently, and looked as if she were thinking hard. She was very pretty. Really tall, and wore baggy torn jeans and a low cut tank top. Her long curly hair sauntered in the gentle wind. He had never seen her before.

"You live nearby?" he asked, breaking the silence. Gently, he let her cold, soft hand slip from her grip. He felt that he looked horrible. His shaggy, black hair was tousled and unbrushed. His hands were shaking and his lips were quivering. She nodded.

"Four blocks from here," she smiled. "A little blue house on the corner." He knew the house, but she was still unfamiliar.

"You're whole life?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Me and my mom moved from Canada when I was 8," she explained. He nodded. So that explained her foreign accent. "Do you mind if I ask where your parents are?" He took in a deep breath and frowned. The memory mad him sad.

"They were murdered when I was a baby," he confessed. She gasped.

"Oh… I'm so sorry." She paused. "Did they ever catch the guy?" He shook his head.

"No, he disappeared." The thought of Voldemort made his blood boil. She stared at him though those innocent blue eyes.

"Are you OK?" she asked as she brushed hair from his face. "You're sweating." She stopped pushing his hair aside.

"Your scar…" she stuttered. He swallowed.

"A souvenier from my parent's murder," he confessed. He didn't know why, but he felt really comfortable with her. He trusted this girl. She brushed more hair from his eyes and he felt her fingers trace over his scar. It felt comforting, for a moment, then it began to sting. She jumped back.

"It's burning," she told him. He winced in pain. It was burning worse then ever. "Are you OK? I'm sorry." She stood up and backed away. He glanced around for any sign of Voldemort or his followers. All he saw was Candy. She couldn't be… He shook the thought away and stood up.

"No no, it's OK. Sometimes it does that. No cause for concern," he smiled weakly and returned to his seat. But the expression on her young, pretty face was horrifying. She looked as if she'd just saw a ghost.

"Are you OK?" he asked. Her glimmering blue eyes fell shut and a sigh escaped her throat.

"I just feel guilty. I shouldn't have touched it. Maybe I should go." She rose to her fet and began to walk away. Harry stood up again and grabbed her hand.

"Don't feel guilty or embarrassed. It's OK," he reassured her. "Why don't we go for a soda?" he asked. She turned around and looked at him. A weak smile crossed her face.

"Alright, I would like that."


	3. Chapter 3

Chatter and laughter filled the tiny, smoky coffee chop. It was hot and crowded, but Harry managed to slip through the people leading the way. Candy guessed he had been here before. This place was different. The windows were dusty and hardly clear at all. The tables were made out of old wood that appeared to be rotting. People were staring at her as if she didn't belong. So in response, she took her eyes off them and continued to follow Harry. Everyone watched her suspiciously as she moved through the crowd. She watched Harry approach the man at the counter.

"Harry, how good to see you," he greeted as he stopped wiping the counter to shake Harry's hand. Harry refused and responded with a weak smile. The man was old and smiled with a toothless grin. He had shaggy gray hair and graying skin. He gave her the creeps. Shivers ran up her spine. This whole place made her shiver.

"What can I get you 'Arry?" another man asked. He was tall, thin and had shaggy red hair. It hung in front of his eyes and she got the feeling this place was anything but ordinary.

"Two sodas please," Harry ordered. The redheaded man nodded and turned to fetch the drinks.

"One for your girlfriend over there?" he snickered. Candy flashed him a nervous smile but Harry just frowned.

"She's not my girlfriend," he replied as he took the sodas from the red-haired man. He handed a soda to Candy and grabbed his trunk. She led them to an empty table. It was in the far corner by a fireplace that contained a dying fire.

"You come here often?" she asked as she took a seat. He shook his head.

"No, I'm not allowed to go much of anywhere. House policy," he sneered.

"They seem to know you," she pointed out.

"They know who I am, but they don't know me," she grumbled. She nodded and took that as a sign to back off the subject. She observed his frown. He didn't smile much. His dark eyes were always sad. She glanced around one more time. The people were mysterious and very creepy. The chairs creaked when they moved and the door squeaked when it opened. She turned away from the door only to catch a glimpse of a portrait. It bared a man in armor holding a twig. What was with these people and their sticks? She had to blink twice when it appeared the portrait was picking its nose. She shook away the absurd thought and blamed her over tiredness. She turned her attention back to the fireplace. It was beautiful. Her mother would love it. It was built of stone and old tiles that had to be over 200 years old. There was some magical quality about it.

As she scanned the room some more, everyone wouldn't take their eyes off her. She shook them away and looked to the near counter. She paused when she caught a shadow in her peripheral vision. When she turned to catch it, it was gone. She figured it was just her imagination. Maybe someone was moving behind the counter. She shook it all away and turned her attention back to Harry. He was very silent and had hardly touched his Soda, but he seemed to notice her twitch.

"You ok?" he asked as he twirled his soda can on the table with his left forefinger and thumb. She shook her head.

"I'm fine, I just thought I saw something." She smiled faintly. "Just my imagination."

"So…" he started as he twisted his soda can. "Where's your dad?" he asked. She took in a deep breath. She'd never known her father. All she had of him was a school portrait taken when he was sixteen. Her crystal blue eyes glazed over.

"I don't know," she replied. "He and mom got married and when I was three, he split." She explained. She often doubted that was the truth but it's what her mother always told her. Harry frowned.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" She cut him off.

"Don't worry." She laughed lightly. Again, she thought she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye, then a sudden flare in the fireplace. When she glanced over, a tall old man was standing there. She blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. There was no way he just stepped out of the dying fireplace. She shook away the absurd thought. He probably just stood up. He brushed off his long trench coat and began walking their way. Harry noticed him too.

"Oh no," he murmured as he sank into his chair.

"What?" she asked. The man approached their table.

"Harry," he greeted, "you must come with me."

"No!" he shouted, catching everyone's attention. "I won't go back to that house!" The man shook his head.

"You will come stay at the Leaky Cauldron. You'll be safe there," he ordered. Harry sighed, he looked disappointed and relieved at the same time. Candy was confused. Who was this man and why was he kidnapping Harry?

"Your actions at 4 Privet Drive were unacceptable," the man scolded. "Must we go through this every year?" Harry frowned and looked at Candy.

"I'm sorry, I have to go now," he apologized. She smiled and took his hand.

"Write me. I'll give you my address," she said as she grabbed a napkin and a quill from the table next to them. She was confused about the quill, but shrugged it off.

"What school do you go to?" he asked. She laughed as she handed him the napkin.

"I'm too old for school," she told him. "I'm almost twenty one." He nodded and put the napkin in his shirt pocket.

"I'll write," he promised as he grabbed his trunk and followed the old man across the room. They talked to the man at the counter. Harry glanced back to Candy a few times before she rose to her feet and decided to leave. As she headed for the door, she saw another shadow and the door swung open. It slammed shut. No one seemed to notice so she ignored it too. As she reached for the door knob, she swore she saw another portrait move. She blamed it on her over tiredness.

She turned to wave goodbye to Harry, but all she saw was the roaring fire. He and the man were gone. Where did they go? This was the only way out. She shrugged, maybe they went through an kitchen door. After one more look around, she stepped outside and let the door slam shut behind her.

Outside in the cool summer evening, the dark storm clouds were still threatening. Tiny drops of rain fell sparsely among her. Slowly, she headed home. In the distance, thunder rumbled and far beyond the hills, lightening flashed. It was a strange lightening though. Unlike any she had ever seen. Not usual light flashes, as the wind picked up, the flashed changed color. She quickened her pace. It had been an interesting day. The sky darkened as she neared home. She slowed down as she passed Privet Drive. Her eyes landed on #4. It seemed a strange little house. She has seen those people before, but never Harry. Deciding not to worry about it, she picked up her pace and rushed home.


End file.
